With the support of 13 of our partners, The Cambridge Trust has so far funded 23 students at the Laboratory for Scientific Computing (LabSC), a pioneering research group which is part of the Cavendish Laboratory, Department of Physics, at the University of Cambridge.
We have a unique role in the Cambridge ecosystem, connecting external funding to the academic priorities, and fuelling research on challenges of critical importance for society. Discover more about our contribution and watch scholar Kesna Fairclough explain his own personal journey.
What is the focus of research at LabSC?
The research centres around challenges of critical importance, including clean energy, sustainable aviation, and aerospace safety. It focuses on problems involving the interactions between the four states of matter – gas, liquid, solid and plasma – at extreme conditions, such as supercritical geothermal energy recovery, magnetically confined plasma for nuclear fusion, and lightning strikes on aerospace composite materials.
Using applied mathematics, physics and high-performance computing, the Master’s and PhD students develop new models, numerical algorithms and methods which lead to better designed systems and reduced risk.
How are links between research and industry encouraged?
There are regular placements at the premises of industrial collaborators, which allow students to see how their research is directly relevant to products and services. LabSC also aims to have an external industrial collaborator for every project, offering insights and guidance.
This approach helps develop a clear link between the research activities and real-world problems – and potential solutions.
What role does the Cambridge Trust play?
Removing financial barriers to studying at the University of Cambridge enables the brightest, most talented students from around the world to come to Cambridge and carry out cutting-edge research such as that which we see at LabSC.
By working closely with the academic Schools and Departments, we ensure that our funding supports the academic priorities of the University, which enables innovation and positive societal change in numerous ways, and contributes £30bn to the UK economy.
In his own words
Jamaican scholar Kesna Fairclough came to the University through a Cambridge Trust scholarship. He completed his Master’s in 2024-25, and is now studying for his PhD in Computational Physics at LabSC and King’s College, supported by a Cambridge Caribbean Scholarship (co-funded by the Trust, the University and Trinity College).
Kesna’s work focuses on developing a more environmentally sustainable method to reducing ice formation on aircraft, bringing energy savings which will lead to lower CO2 emissions and contribute to a greener, more sustainable planet.
“The Cambridge Trust scholarship truly changed my life. If it had not been for the funding I received, I could not be here in Cambridge. It allows me to use my skills and my talent to develop solutions that will have a truly global impact…
After Cambridge, I dream of establishing my own material research and consultancy firm. My aim is to offer more climate resilient and climate smart technologies to address our increasing demand for climate smart, energy efficient solutions.”
What’s next for our scholars?
The combination of the world-class research environment at LabSC with the practical experience in industry acts as a springboard for their careers, and so many go on to enjoy rewarding roles in academia or industry.
This is often in an area relating to their research, for example with aerospace giant Boeing. Or, due to their highly transferable skills in high-performance computing, many take roles in finance or with innovators in AI and machine learning, such as Google DeepMind.
We are grateful to our partners for their support
- Cambridge Australia
- Woolf Fisher Trust
- Aker Scholarships
- DeepMind
- Nehru Trust
- Pomona
- Rosalie Crawford
- Saven
- Skye
- Tazaki
- Turkish Education Foundation (TEV-UK)
Further information
Visit the Laboratory for Scientific Computing, Cavendish Laboratory, Department of Physics.
See some of our MPhil students with scholarships featured on the course website.
